Road pavements are made with maximum strength. Consequently, aggregate incorporated into road pavements is hard aggregate. Asphalt is no exception. Hard aggregate used in asphalt includes sand, rocks, pebbles, gravel, glass and stone. While hard aggregate increases the maximum strength of asphalt, hard aggregate also increases sturdiness or inflexibility of asphalt. A pavement characterized by sturdiness and inflexibility is not desirable in all instances. Therefore, new asphalt pavements are desired.
A new asphalt surface is in some instances conventionally applied to an old asphalt surface in need of resurfacing. Typically, this is because the old asphalt surface exhibits cracks. This phenomenon is sometimes termed reflective cracking. One reason for this phenomenon is that asphalt is a relatively brittle material, and over time, various stresses imposed on an asphalt surface induce the formation of cracks. Accordingly, old asphalt surfaces are simply repaved with a new asphalt layer. However, the new asphalt layer tends to exhibit cracks, often in the same places where the old, underlying asphalt layer exhibited cracks.
In an attempt to solve this problem, a membrane is used between the old and new layers of asphalt. There are two types of conventional membranes; namely, a layer of a liquid binder embedded with a hard aggregate material (shot and chip) and a fabric layer. Conventional membranes function by exerting tension on the old, underlying asphalt layer so as to prevent the old, underlying asphalt layer from moving (exerting force). New asphalt surfaces applied over a convention membrane which is turn applied over an old asphalt surface continue to exhibit cracking. New and improved methods of repaving cracked asphalt surfaces and/or new and improved materials for repaving cracked asphalt surfaces are desired.